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50 Years at the New Metropolitan Opera House
In my most recent article I described why it was necessary to build a new Metropolitan Opera house at Lincoln Center and why, unfortunately, the old Met was destroyed in the process.In 1966-67, I was a...
View ArticlePoulenc's 'Dialogues of the Carmelites' from San Francisco Opera
Tune in to WQXR this Saturday at 1 pm as the San Francisco Opera performs Francis Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites. The production stars Howard Hensel , Eric Halfvarson and Carol Vanessas...
View ArticleMarc Lamont Hill on Race & Class, Bass-Baritone Ryan Speedo Green, Mark...
Journalist and BET News host Marc Lamont Hill on, Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond. Opera singer Ryan Speedo Green talks about his life, along...
View ArticleOpera Singer Ryan Speedo Green's Long Road to the Met Stage
Bass-baritone opera singer Ryan Speedo Green details his path to music, from an abusive upbringing in a violent trailer park in southeastern Virginia, to his success at age 24 in a nationwide...
View ArticleWatch: Opera Singer Ryan Speedo Green Inspires with Story and Song
At twelve years old, Ryan Speedo Green was placed in solitary confinement in Virginia’s juvenile facility of last resort. At twenty-four, he won America’s most prestigious contest for young opera...
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In the Footsteps of Wagner: Writing 'Parsifal' in Italy
RAVELLO, Italy—Richard Wagner spent a great amount of time in Italy and, like so many other composers, found great inspiration here and reveled in its many pleasures. Perhaps I will one day write a...
View ArticleTenor Stuart Skelton Stars in 'Tristan und Isolde'
Australian tenor Stuart Skelton, who was named Male Singer of the Year at the International Opera Awards in 2014, is guest starring in the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Richard...
View Article5 Times Abraham Lincoln Showed His Love of Opera
Unlike other musical presidents, Abraham Lincoln could neither read music, sing, or play an instrument. He was nonetheless a great music lover, and music provided a respite from the stress of governing...
View ArticleMusic in Lincoln’s White House
Abraham Lincoln was one of our great music lovers-in-chief. Though he couldn’t sing or play any instruments himself, he surrounded himself with music during the turbulent 1860s, seeking solace from the...
View ArticleThe rising opera star who traded layups for librettos
Most opera singers start training seriously when they’re still in pigtails and knee socks. But one rising star in the classical singing world got a late start because she was headed for a career as a...
View ArticleMalin Byström Stars in Janáček's devastating 'Jenůfa'
Tune in at 1pm for this week's Saturday at the Opera featuring Janáček's devastating Jenůfa, from the San Francisco Opera, starring Malin Byström in the title role.The strong cast also includes Karita...
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Venice: The First Capital of Opera
VENICE—In most of the nearly five hundred articles I have done for WQXR, I have seldom dwelt much on Venice and its absolutely crucial role in opera. This is not for lack of caring but just because I...
View ArticleWatch: Music and Conversation With Richard Tucker Award Winner Tamara Wilson
One of opera’s greatest honors is the Richard Tucker Award and at 7 pm on Thursday, Oct. 13, we welcome its newest honoree, soprano Tamara Wilson, to The Greene Space at WQXR for a night of...
View ArticleRemembering Broadcaster Peter Allen
I was in Venice last Saturday when I learned that Peter Allen — the beloved announcer of the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts for 29 years — had died that day at the age of 96. Peter’s birthday was on...
View ArticleGiuseppe Verdi's 'Don Carlo' from the San Francisco Opera
Tune in at 1pm for this week's Saturday at the Opera featuring Giuseppe Verdi's Don Carlo from the San Francisco Opera. At the time of Spain’s brutal Inquisition, the king of Spain marries the woman...
View ArticleSingular Voices: Charles Aznavour
A couple of months ago I initiated an occasional series of articles called Singular Voices with a rumination on the specialness of Barbra Streisand. Another remarkable singer, Charles Aznavour,...
View ArticleFor ‘William Tell’ Nerds, The Met Does (Reasonably) Well by Rossini's Epic
Don't leave before Act Four.Even if you've committed a mere double-digit sum toward the ticket price of the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Guillaume Tell, the best music, performances and...
View ArticleGeorges Bizet's 'Carmen' with San Francisco Opera
Tune in at 1 pm on Saturday as the San Francisco Opera performs Carmen by Georges Bizet. Carlo Montanaro is conducting.The ultimate femme fatale returns in a provocative staging by acclaimed director...
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Before Verdi There Was Rossini
PARMA, Italy—I am in this wonderful city that celebrates Giuseppe Verdi for a month each October with a festival of his works, but my mind is also on Gioachino Rossini, whose works L’Italiana in Algeri...
View Article7 Spooky Classical Pieces For Your Halloween Playlist
You’ve placed skeletons in the doorways and put the finishing touches on your jack-o-lanterns. Pumpkin seeds are roasting and there’s more candy than you know what to do with. All that’s left are the...
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